Household Products
Powder Detergents
In today’s highly competitive market, detergents are manufactured in a range of product forms: powders, tablets, pastes and liquids. Each has its own particular requirements in terms of performance, shelf life stability, delivery system and environmental friendliness. CP Kelco has decades of experience in developing biodegradable, nature-based, water-soluble polymers to meet individual customer needs based on a broad portfolio of products, as well as new technology developments.
FINNFIX® CMC is a proven anti-redeposition aid. The use of FINNFIX CMC in powder detergents is one of the product’s oldest and most well-known applications. FINNFIX functions as a soil-suspending, anti-redeposition agent in powder detergent formulas.
A key requirement in the washing process is that soil particles should be rinsed away without redepositing on the freshly washed fabric surfaces. FINNFIX CMC molecules, with their cellulosic backbone and negative charge, are adsorbed onto cotton fibers through hydrogen bonding. Electrostatic and/or steric repulsion prevents the negatively charged soil particles in the wash water from re-depositing onto fibres. The adsorption potential is influenced by its molecular weight and the number and distribution of the negatively charged carboxymethyl groups.
The pH of the wash water and the presence of anionic and non-ionic surfactants do not affect the adsoption of FINNFIX. During the rinse cycle, FINNFIX desorbs from the fabric surface, as a result of the reduced ionic strength. Certain types of FINNFIX swell on contact with water, allowing them to function as tablet disintegrants.
Liquid Detergents
Liquid detergents must be pourable and disperse well, even though they contain high levels of surfactants and salts. KELZAN Xanthan gum imparts the shear-thinning rheology required to prevent sedimentation of any suspended particles during the detergent’s shelf life as well as provide desired pour viscosity.
CELLULON® Microfibrous Cellulose: Concentrate without Losing Suspension
Inclusions in liquid detergents and soaps – active insolubles, bleach precursors, encapsulated enzymes, particles, droplets, air bubbles – provide formulators a powerful route to differentiation. However, creating a system with consumer friendly appeal, that reliably suspends and uniformly distributes these components has historically proven difficult, if not impossible.
CP Kelco’s CELLULON® PX microfibrous cellulose (MFC) technology has been created to overcome this technical hurdle: to allow reliable suspension of actives or a variety of decorative particles. The suspended material may provide a functional or active benefit, a visual cue, or both. This tool offers synthetic performance in a biodegradable format.
Rather than relying on structuring the surfactant or liquid phases of the formula, or increasing overall product viscosity, CELLULON PX forms an invisible, translucent three-dimensional network in the fluid. This suspension happens independently of viscosity, ionic strength, or surfactant type and level. It also happens without adversely affecting the final viscosity of the finished product. This ‘decoupling’ of viscosity and suspension gives the formulator new flexibility without hindering the consumer experience.
Click here for more information novel CELLULON PX system for suspension without viscosity.
Please contact a CP Kelco representative for more details.